Meeting Mr Sanders
by A.G. Hart
Summary: Sequel to Father's Day. Alex meets Greg's dad only to find out they've already met. When Greg learns of Alex's past will it change the way he feels? How will Greg react to his father's present activites? Please R&R! Ch. 11 is up and the end.
1. Coincidence

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its characters. I just own my original ones.

Author's note: This is a sequel to Father's Day. Stolen Hearts and Death and New Life have not happened. This story picks up where Father's Day left off.

Chapter 1

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to figure out how she wanted to do her hair. She pulled it back, put it in a partial ponytail, and finally decided on a loose bun. She was nervous about meeting him, her future father-in-law.

Making her even more nervous was Greg pacing the hall. She could see his reflection moving back and forth, wringing his hands. She wondered why seeing his father bothered him.

"Settle down, Greg," Alex called to the reflection. "It's just your dad."

"I know," he said, stopping in front of the bathroom door. "I just…I just haven't seen him in a while."

Alex spoke to Greg's reflection. "How long has it been?"

Greg cocked his head to the side in thought. "Ummm…I haven't seen him since I moved to Vegas."

"What?" she exclaimed and turned to look at him directly. "That's like 6 years!"

"I know, I know," he replied. "We've just been so busy."

Alex was still incredulous. "No birthdays? Holidays? Vacations?"

Greg just shook his head.

"That's why you're so nervous," it was more a statement than a question.

Greg nodded. She walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist. Then she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"It'll be ok," she tried to reassure him. Then, shaking her head she added, "You know, I'm the one who should be nervous!"

He looked at her and smiled. "My dad is going to love you."

She gave him another peck on his cheek. "Thank you," she replied and went back to the mirror to finish. "I hope he and Gil get along, too."

"Grissom's coming?" Greg sounded surprised.

Alex turned around to look at him again. "I must've told you this a dozen times. Your dad is coming here. We're going to talk to him for a couple hours and then we are meeting Gil at the restaurant."

Greg slowly nodded, remembering. "Oh yeah."

"Oh yeah," she mimicked and then returned to the mirror.

Greg left the bathroom doorway and continued to pace. He was even more nervous now that he'd been reminded that Grissom would be there. This all seemed like too much for him.

Not long after there was a knock on the door. Greg froze in the middle of his step, looking like a deer caught in headlights. There was another knock.

Alex, finally finished, peeked her head out of the bathroom. She saw the statuesque Greg. "Want me to get that?" she asked.

Her voice broke his trance. "No, I'll get it," he replied, walking towards the door.

When he got to the door, he quickly wiped his palms on his pants. He couldn't believe how much he was sweating. He slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

On the other side stood Ed Sanders. Ever the businessman, Ed was wearing a dark gray suit on his frame that was slightly taller and heavier than Greg, but basically the same. And even with Ed's beard, you could see the similar jaw line and cheekbones. However, the most striking resemblance was their eyes; there was no denying Greg was this father's son.

"Hi Dad," Greg greeted him, extending his hand.

"Greg!" his father exclaimed, ignoring Greg's hand and hugging him.

Greg was a little taken aback by the hug. After his mother's death, Greg's father had become somewhat distant. This was part of the reason they hadn't seen each other in so long. He returned the hug.

"How're you?" Greg asked his dad. "How was the flight?"

"It was good. I'm good. How're you? It looks like Vegas agrees with you," Ed replied, walking into the apartment.

"I'm doing well," Greg told his father. "And Vegas has been…interesting."

As Greg said "interesting," Alex walked into the living room where Greg and Ed were. She smiled as she quickly looked Ed up and down and noted the family resemblance.

"And this has been the best part," Greg added, sliding his arm around Alex's waist. "Dad, this is Alex Hart, my fiancé." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Alex stuck out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you, Mr. Sanders."

He took her hand and shook it. "Please, call me Ed. It's nice to meet you too."

"You found the place alright?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Your directions were very good."

Before she could say anything else, Greg's cell phone rang. He looked down at the called ID. "It's the lab. I have to take this," he informed them. "Will you two be alright?"

"We'll do just fine," Alex replied, motioning for Greg to answer.

He left the room and answered his phone. Alex and Ed stood awkwardly for a few moments, neither one knowing how to start.

Finally, Ed broke the silence. "So you're a CPA?"

"Yeah," Alex replied. "My current position is kinda boring, but welcome after my previous job."

"With the FBI?" Ed tried to clarify.

Alex was surprised he knew this much. As far as she knew, Greg rarely talked to his dad. Obviously they either talked more than she thought, or Greg had done a quick update with his dad before he came. "Yes, the FBI was crazy," she smiled. "I needed something a little less exciting—and more stable."

As Alex spoke, Ed scanned the room, looking at the pictures. There was one of a young woman standing on a beach, holding a baby that caught his eye. He walked over to it and picked it up, trying to get a closer look.

"Where…where did you get this picture?" Ed asked.

Alex walked over to him and looked at the picture he picked up. "It's a picture of my mom as a teenager."

Ed scrutinized the picture a little more. "Do you know who the baby is? Where this picture was taken?"

Alex was a little surprised by all of Ed's questions. "Ummm," she tried to remember what her grandmother had told her. "If I remember correctly, the picture was taken in L.A. And I don't remember the baby's name, but it was the last baby my grandfather delivered."

"The last baby he delivered?" Ed's curiosity was growing.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "My grandfather was a doctor and he was in L.A. for a medical conference. He got trapped in an elevator with this woman who was very pregnant. Apparently the stress of the situation caused her to go into labor and grandpa delivered the baby in the elevator. Then the next day he went to the hospital where the woman and baby where to check on them, but he never made it."

Ed's eyes had grown wide. "He was killed in a mugging on the way to the hospital," he finished Alex's story.

Alex's was incredulous. "How—How did you know that?"

Ed sank down unto the couch, still holding the picture. "You're Sam and Elizabeth's granddaughter."

Alex nodded. "How did…?" She didn't need to finish the question.

"The woman in the elevator was Cecilia, Greg's mom," Ed replied, not really believing it.

"So the baby in the picture…"

"It's Greg," he completed her statement.

Alex sank down unto the couch next to Ed. "Wow," she said in unbelief. "So you've met my mom and my mom met Greg."

Ed nodded. "But that's only the beginning of the story."


	2. The First Time We Met

Chapter 2

Alex sat, stunned at what she'd just learned. Her grandparents and mother had met the Sanders family long ago before her birth. However, Ed had said that was only the beginning of the story. She couldn't begin to imagine what the rest might be. But first, there was something else puzzling her.

"Wait, Greg never told me you guys were from L.A." she tried to get the story straight in her own mind.

"We're not," Ed replied. "I had to go to L.A. for a business meeting. Cecilia wanted to come along and the doctor said it ok because she wasn't due for another month."

"Ok," Alex nodded, the beginning coming clearer. "So, what's the rest of the story?"

Ed placed the picture of Alex's mother Olivia holding an infant Greg on the coffee table in front of him and looked straight at Alex. "Your grandmother decided to bury your grandfather in L.A since he'd always wanted to be buried next to the ocean and didn't care which one."

"She probably wanted to piss off his family, too," Alex interjected.

"Probably," Ed agreed. He'd known of Elizabeth's dislike for Sam's family. "We attended the funeral and that's where I first met Elizabeth and Olivia; they were the only other people at your grandfather's funeral."

Alex shook her head. "Stubborn old bird," she mumbled about her grandmother. Then she added clearly, "My mom was what…" Alex did some quick math in her head. "Seventeen at the time?"

"Yes, she was still a teenager," Ed confirmed. "She and your grandmother were so nice. After they left to go back to Virginia, we kept in touch."

"Oh? Did you guys ever see one another again?"

"That _is _the rest of the story," Ed replied. "We exchanged a lot of letters and pictures. But we didn't see one another again until Olivia's funeral."

Alex's eyes got wide. "You've met _me_ before too?"

Ed let out a small chuckle. "Well, if you call holding an infant meeting…"

She let out a small laugh, too. "Yeah, I guess that is kinda silly."

"But," he told her, "Have you ever seen a picture of a small child holding you as an infant?"

She thought for a moment. "Vaguely," she replied, a flash of an image of herself as an infant, her face crinkled in mid cry, lying in the lap of a young child smiling. Then, as she thought about why he was asking, she added, "That was Greg?"

Ed once again nodded. "He, like most children, was very interested in you because you were smaller than he was. He begged and begged to be able to hold you, but Elizabeth didn't want to let you go."

"Yeah, I bet she was holding me tight," Alex replied, trying to comprehend all of what she was hearing.

"Finally, Cecilia convinced her to let Greg hold you. You were crying so hard, but Greg was just tickled. He had the biggest grin on his face…" Ed remembered the scene in his own mind. Thinking back, he couldn't believe Greg was ever that little.

"When we got back to California, we heard less and less from your grandmother. No doubt because she was busy raising you," Ed continued.

"This is all kinda surreal," Alex told him. "I mean, what are the odds?" She paused for a moment then asked, "Is that the last you saw of us?"

Ed let out a shaky sigh, remembering the last time he actually did see Elizabeth and Alex. "No," he responded. "The last time I saw you was Cecilia's funeral."

Alex thought back. Greg had said his mother died when he was ten. That would mean that she was around seven. She thought hard for a moment, trying to remember the funeral. After a few seconds, her mouth dropped out. "On my god," she exclaimed, the event coming back to her.

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Greg's cell phone rang. He looked down at the called ID. "It's the lab. I have to take this," he informed them. "Will you two be alright?"

"We'll do just fine," Alex replied, motioning for Greg to answer.

Greg walked out of the living room and down the hall to the bedroom. He said a quick pray that Alex and his dad would get along. "Sanders," he answered the phone, not knowing who from the lab it would be.

"Greg, it's Catherine," she greeted him. "I know you had the day off and don't work graveyard anymore, but do you think you could come in? The lab is swamped."

Greg let out a sigh. He hadn't worked graveyard in about two months. Once he and Alex got engaged, he had a choice: go back to being a lab rat or switch to days. So he switched to days. He liked being a CSI and working the same time as Alex was a bonus; it allowed them to spend more time together. "Catherine, my dad's in town. I'm having dinner with him and Grissom and Alex tonight."

"I know," Catherine replied. She was well aware of their plans. Grissom was settling into his role as a parent, but still needed advice from time to time and in those times, he turned to Catherine. Although her daughter was younger, she still had a lot to offer. "He's coming in after dinner."

Greg rolled his eyes. _Of course he's coming in,_ he thought. _Is he ever really anywhere else?_ Greg looked at his watch. "I'll be around twelve, is that ok?" he responded.

"That would be great! Thanks Greg," Catherine replied and hung up.

Greg shook his head. He knew Alex wouldn't be happy about him going in tonight, but he hated to let the lab down. They'd been his family for so long and now, one of them was going to be family, literally.

Greg walked back down the hall and into the living room where Alex and his dad were. He came up from behind them and saw them sitting on the couch talking. He knew this was a good sign.

"No," Greg heard his dad say. "The last time I saw you was Cecilia's funeral."

Greg stopped, confused. He didn't quite understand what his dad had just said, not having heard the previous conversation. _Mom's funeral?_

"Oh my god!" Alex exclaimed.

"What?" Greg asked, surprising the other two; they hadn't heard him approach.

Alex stood up and turned to look at Greg. She didn't know how to explain the conversation she and Ed had been having. Or how to explain what she'd remembered. After a moment of silence, she replied, "Your mom's in heaven now with my mom. Maybe they can be friends?"

Greg's jaw dropped. Alex's word evoked a long forgotten memory of his mother's funeral. He had walked away from the gravesite, not being able to take looking at the coffin anymore. A young girl came over to him and said the exact words Alex had just recited.

"That was you?" he asked Alex.

She slowly nodded, remembering the same exchange.

"What have I missed?" Greg knew he'd been left out of an interesting conversation.


	3. Another First With You

Chapter 3

"Wow," Greg exhaled, sitting on the couch between Alex and Ed. They had just finished telling him all that they had learned while he was out of the room. "You guys are kidding, right?"

Alex shook her head and pointed at the picture Greg held in his hands. "That's definitely my mom."

"And that's definitely you," Ed added.

Greg shook his head in disbelief. "This is so weird."

"Tell me about it," Alex concurred.

"So, why didn't we see each other again after mom's funeral?" Greg asked.

Alex shrugged her shoulders. She was wondering the same thing.

"I can answer that," Ed stated. "Your grandmother was busy being a single parent. I was busy being a single parent. We had both lost important loved ones and, unfortunately, the other person just reminded us of those we lost. So we just lost contact."

"So, we left from the funeral and you and my grandmother never had any other contact?" Alex was trying to understand. She was also wondering if Ed knew of her teenage troubles. They were something she still hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Greg. Especially after everything else that happened.

"Not totally," Ed replied. "We still occasionally wrote each other, but the letters were few and far between until they just stopped."

Alex nodded. She was hopeful her grandmother had omitted her troubles. She figured Ed would have probably brought them up by now if he knew about them.

"Oh," Ed suddenly exclaimed. "How rude of me! Here am I am going on about your grandmother and I haven't even asked about her. How is Elizabeth?"

Alex was a little taken back by the question. Through all of their conversation, it never occurred to Alex that Ed didn't know Elizabeth was dead. Since he had known about the FBI and being a CPA, Alex was sure Greg had told Ed about her grandmother as well.

"Didn't Greg tell you?" she asked.

Greg put his hand to his forehead. "I'm so sorry, Alex. It never occurred to me to tell him. I didn't know they knew each other."

"Tell me what?" Now Ed felt out of the loop.

"My grandmother is dead," Alex told him.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Ed responded. "After meeting you, I was kind of hoping I'd get to see her again." After a brief pause he added, "Can I ask how?"

Alex took a deep breath. Even after all this time, it was still hard to say the words, especially when she was the cause. "She was murdered."

"That's awful!" Ed replied. "Did they get the person responsible?"

"That's a long story, Dad," Greg told him, seeing the pain in Alex's face.

"But the short answer is yes," Alex added. Apparently, there was a lot Greg had left out.

"Maybe you can tell him after dinner," Greg said. "I've got to go into the lab."

Alex gave him the evil eye. "What? I thought you had the day off."

"I know, I know," Greg replied. "But that was Catherine who called and she said the lab is swamped. I said I'd come in. Besides, Grissom's going in after dinner."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Like that's a surprise." She let out a sigh. "Ok, that's cool."

Greg gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "You're the greatest."

She playfully punched him. "And don't you forget it!"

Ed let out a laugh. "I can see why he likes you so much."

Alex smiled. Ed seemed extremely friendly. She couldn't understand why Greg hadn't seen his dad in so long. She was just glad that they would get to spend some time together. Finally something good had happened because of her.

After a couple more hours and some more conversation, the trio headed to the restaurant where they were meeting Grissom. The talking had done a lot to reassure Greg that Grissom and his dad might actually get along.

When they arrived, Grissom was waiting on them.

"Hi Gil," Alex greeted her father with a hug and peck on the cheek.

"Alex," he returned the hug, finally comfortable with her affection.

The four of them stood around awkwardly for a moment. Finally Greg introduced his dad, "Grissom, this is my dad, Ed Sanders. Dad, this is Gil Grissom."

Ed shook Grissom's extended hand. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," Ed stated.

"Nice to meet you too," Grissom responded, not sure of what else to say. He really hadn't heard much about Ed.

"You have a wonderful daughter," Ed smiled.

"I think so," Grissom concurred. "Greg's very astute."

Alex smiled and rolled her eyes. _That's a Gil Grissom compliment for you,_ she thought.

To the relief of all of them, before anyone else could add to the conversation, the hostess came up to the quartet to seat them. Alex was starting to have doubts about the dinner plans. Had she known Greg hadn't seen his dad in so long she might have moved meeting Gil to another night. It might have also given her a little more prep time for Gil. He looked almost as uncomfortable as Greg did. Ed seemed to be the only one not really worried about anything.

"So, we found out that Mr. Sanders met my grandmother," Alex informed Gil of their earlier conversation.

"Really?" Gil sounded truly interested.

Ed jumped in. "Yes. In fact, Alex's grandfather is the one who delivered Greg."

Gil raised an eyebrow. "What a small world," he mused. "I never had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth."

"Oh?" Ed responded. He really didn't know much about Gil and Olivia's relationship, only the obvious; they had conceived a child.

"I met Olivia in L.A. I never got to meet any of her family." Gil stated. Then, out of curiosity he asked, "Did you ever meet Olivia?"

Alex smiled a little bit. Gil rarely talked about Olivia. It was kind of nice just to hear him mention her name.

Ed nodded. "Once, but that was enough to recognize the resemblance between her and Alex."

Gil nodded once in agreement. He had always seen Olivia in Alex. "When did you meet her?"

"At her grandfather's funeral," Ed answered.

Alex jumped in, "You know that picture I have of mom on a beach holding a baby?"

Gil nodded.

"The baby is me," Greg interjected. He was feeling a little left out of the conversation.

Gil looked at Greg, who nodded. Then he looked at Alex. "So, I take that that the Sanders did more than just meet your grandparents?"

"Yeah," Alex responded. "They've met a few times, including mom's funeral."

"And Alex and I met at my mom's funeral," Greg added.

A smile crossed Alex's lips as another memory of the funeral crossed her mind. Greg noticed the smile and wondered what about the funeral would make her smile.

"Why the smile?" he asked.

She let out a little laugh. "I remembered something else about your mom's funeral."

The look on his face revealed his still present confusion.

Alex realized that her reaction was a little out of place and so explained, "At the dinner after the funeral, we were sitting in a corner and you kissed me."

A light bulb went on in Greg's mind. "I had totally forgotten!" Then, remembering the child kiss, a smile spread across his lips. "It was my first."

Her smile widened. "Mine too."


	4. Comforting

Chapter 4

Alex was pleased. Dinner was going exceptionally well. Greg and his dad seemed to get over their initial discomfort. Gil was in rare form, talkative but not cryptic. And, best of all, everyone seemed to be getting along.

Ed let out a laugh. Gil had just finished telling one of his science jokes about an exploding outhouse. "That reminds me of the time Greg blew up the shed!" Ed told them.

Alex let out a laugh. "Greg blew up the shed?"

Greg smiled and covered his eyes with his hands. "Oh Dad," he chuckled. "Not this story!"

"What? What?" Alex inquired, looking at Ed.

"Greg was 14. I let him use the shed as his laboratory. I didn't want him playing with all those chemicals in the house," Ed started.

"A wise choice considering what happened," Gil added, letting out a laugh of his own.

"I know," Ed responded. "So, I was inside in my study when all of a sudden I hear this loud boom and the house shook. Well, I knew right away it had to have been Greg so I ran out into the backyard. And there was Greg," Ed stopped, letting out a laugh remembering the sight his soiled son and missing shed. "He was sitting on the ground looking at the space where the shed used to be. And he looked up at me and said, 'I won't be doing _that_ again!' And I was like, 'No kidding?'"

The other three laughed, not just at the story, but also at the expression on Ed's face.

"What did you mix together?" Alex inquired.

Greg thought for a moment. "I can't remember!" Everyone laughed again.

Ed finished his story. "So the police and fireman show up, all wanting to know what happened. And I have no idea what to tell them. They wanted to know if I wanted to press charges!"

Greg broke in, "But he didn't. He saved me from a life of crime!"

Ed became silent for a moment in thought, while the other three laughed at the idea of Greg being a criminal mastermind. Then he questioned, "Didn't you get into some trouble as a teenager, Alex?"

Alex stopped laughing. "Wh-what?" she stammered, a little put off by the question.

"I remember in one of the last letters your grandmother sent she mentioned you running into some trouble," he replied.

Alex didn't know what to say. She thought about brushing it off because Ed didn't seem sure but she knew she couldn't as she looked into the faces of the two men to whom she promised she'd never lie to again. She took a deep breath.

Slowly she began to nod. "Yeah, I did."

"What?" Greg couldn't believe she hadn't told him.

Gil sat with a knowing look on his face. Alex was guessing Sara had mentioned her knowledge of the events to him. After all, Alex had lied and told Sara that Gil already knew. Sara probably couldn't wait to tell Gil the faults of his daughter. Although, Alex already knew he had a really good idea about them.

"When I was 15 I got involved with this guy, Dan Gregory. He was older and I was headstrong. He said everything the 15 year old me wanted to hear. Of course it all started with 'If only you were 18…'" She rolled her eyes at the remembrance of him. She couldn't believe she'd ever fallen for his lines. "Anyway, I got into some bad business with him, got caught and spent three months in juvenile hall. After I got out, I followed the straight and narrow. At 18 it was expunged."

Greg sat for a moment digesting what she had said. Gil subconsciously nodded. The version Alex had just mentioned basically matched what he knew.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Greg finally replied and then looked at Gil for his take on it. He assumed Gil didn't know. But Greg could tell that this was not new information to him. "You knew?"

Gil raised an eyebrow in affirmation.

"It was no big deal, really. Just bad company," Alex added with a shrug. She wondered what exactly Gil knew about it all.

Greg let out a deep breath. She was right. It wasn't a big deal, at least not a big enough deal to make a scene here. They could discuss it later. Besides, if it had been anything too terrible, she never would have mad it into the FBI. "Crazy," was all he could think to say.

She gave a weak smile and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. He knew it was because he let it go.

They all sat in awkward silence for a few minutes. No one knew where to go from there in the conversation.

It was Greg who broke the silence. "Looks like we both like to drop bombs, too." Everyone laughed and conversation resumed.

The rest of dinner went well, with out any more snafus. As they got up to leave, Alex pulled Greg aside.

"Do you mind if I get a ride back from Gil? I thought you and your dad might want a little time to yourselves before you have to work tonight," she whispered in his ear.

"That'd be nice," he replied and then kissed her lightly on the lips. "Besides, I think dad wanted to go back to the hotel for a little while."

"Ok," she said, and walked back over towards Gil. "Do you mind giving me a ride home?"

"Not at all," Gil replied. "How come?"

"I just want to give Greg and his dad a little bit of alone time," Alex informed him.

"Good idea," Gil responded.

In the car on the ride home, Alex was dying to ask Gil how he found out about her record and how much he knew about it. She just didn't know how to broach the subject. She decided the best course of action would just be to ask.

"So, Sara told you?" she inquired.

Gil gave her a confused look. "Sara told me what?"

Alex sputtered for a second. "M-m-my record?"

"What does Sara know about your record?" Gil, still not understanding, asked.

"How did you find out about it?" Alex answered his question with one.

Gil let the Sara thing go for the moment. It was his turn to be honest with his daughter. "When you were kidnapped, I had a feeling there were things you weren't telling me. I had a friend do some checking up on you."

Alex frowned. She wasn't happy about it, but she understood. "Yeah, in your position, you have to be careful."

"Thank you for understanding," Gil replied.

"Thank you for not holding it against me."

"We all have our past indiscretions. You have overcome yours. There's nothing to hold against you," he reassured her.

She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek, a tear starting to form in the corner of her eye.

On another roadway, Greg and Ed were having a conversation of their own.

"Alex is wonderful, Greg. I'm so happy you've found her," Ed told his son.

"Found again, you mean," Greg responded with a slight chuckle.

Ed laughed as well. "Yes, again. Isn't it odd?"

"Very, but at the same time, comforting," Greg responded.

"Comforting?" Ed wanted some clarification.

Greg was silent for a moment. "Yeah. I know this is going to sound odd, but whenever I've gotten serious with a girl, I've always wondered what mom would think of her. Would she like her? And just generally be disappointed that she'd never get to meet her. But with Alex, Mom has met her. That makes me feel good about our relationship."

Ed started to slowly nod. "Comforting."


	5. Mending Old Wounds

Chapter 5

Greg opened the door to his apartment, expecting Alex to greet him, but she didn't. He knew she was home; there was a light on in the kitchen. Plus, she didn't have as far to go as he did in taking his dad back to his hotel.

He started to walk back towards the bedroom, thinking maybe she was lying down. But as he walked past the living room, he saw her, still in her dress, sitting on the couch with her feet under her. He called out to her lightly, her motionlessness making him think she was asleep. She didn't stir at the sound of her name.

He walked over towards her and, as he got closer, he saw the earphones that caused her to be deaf to his calls. He sat down on the coffee table across from where she sat on the couch. She still didn't hear him. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. As he did so, he could see the trails of her tears on her cheeks.

Alex opened her eyes. She smiled slightly when she saw him. "Hey." She removed her headphones.

"Hey," he replied, returning Alex's weak smile. "Why the tears?" He touched her cheek.

Her bottom lip started to quiver and tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. "I…I just didn't want to disappoint you again. I wanted to tell you, but after…after…I'm so sorry I didn't tell you—"

"Wait, waitwaitwait," Greg stopped her, wiping the tears from her eyes. He moved so that he was sitting next to her on the couch and took both her hands in his. "I already knew."

Her eyes got wide and her jaw dropped. "Did…did you do a background check on me too?"

"Too?" Greg questioned.

Alex raised an eyebrow as if to say 'You know.'

"Ahhhh," Greg responded. _Grissom. _He shook his head."Actually, Sara told me after she found out about the incident." 'Incident' was their code word for Alex's affair. Neither of them liked that word, and so they agreed upon 'incident.' "She was talking to me about the incident and said 'What did you expect from someone like her?' And so I asked what she meant and she told me about your past."

Alex rolled her eyes. "That woman hates me."

"How did she find out?" Greg inquired.

Alex let out a sigh. Sara hadn't kept Alex's secret so Alex no longer felt obligated to keep Sara's. "Remember when I was in the coma and Sara went to California?"

Greg nodded.

"Well, she didn't go to California," Alex continued. "She went to my hometown to dig up dirt on me. And she found it. Remember when Nick and Warrick found her at my place?"

Greg again nodded, the rest of the story starting to dawn on him.

"She came to confront me with her findings, and boy was she, um, spirited." Alex laughed a little at her own pun. "So, she passed out on my couch and then she was passed along."

"Gotcha," Greg replied.

"So, you're not mad?" Alex asked the question that had been burning on her tongue since dinner.

"I was a little disappointed it took you so long to tell me, but no, I'm not mad," he patted her knee. He got a mischievous glint in his eye. "I mean, it's kind of exciting thinking about you locked up, with all those other girls." He let out a laugh.

Alex moved so that she was straddling his lap, facing him. "So you like bad girls?" She said with her own mischievous glint.

He bit his lower lip and nodded.

She yanked on his tie, pulling his lips to hers and forcefully kissed him. "I know you have to work tonight, but do you have some time for me to show you just how bad a girl I can be?"

"Yes ma'am!"

She slid off his lap, not letting go of his tie. He had no choice but to stand as well. Then she led him to their bedroom.

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Greg and Alex lay intertwined on their bed, their chests still heaving from their passion. Greg could feel Alex's hot breath on his bare skin as she lay with her head on his chest. He had one arm wrapped around her and with the other he stroked her hair.

Greg looked down at her and said, "I love you."

At the sound of his words, he could feel the slight shaking of her body; a sign he knew meant she was sobbing.

"Are you ok?" he asked, worried that tears were her response.

She looked up at him and smiled through her tears. "Yeah, I'm alright. I love you too." She let out a shaky sigh and then continued, "I love you so much. And tonight, when I found out about our interwoven pasts, that I've met your mom and my mom's met you and we've met…it just made me realize how special our relationship is and how stupid I am for almost ruining it."

He gave her a tight squeeze. "I was thinking the same thing earlier. It really means a lot to me that you've met my mom."

"I just can't believe," she said as she scooted up the bed so that her head was next to his. "I can't believe we found each other, again. It's almost like our moms were trying to get us together."

Greg couldn't have agreed more. He looked deep into her eyes, and then kissed her. When they pulled apart he smiled. It was the smile that always melted her heart.

As he moved back, he noticed the clock. "Shit! I'm going to be late!" He jumped out of bed.

Alex turned over and looked at the clock. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to distract you for so long."

"It's alright. It was a nice distraction," he called from the bathroom, where he started to run a shower.

_Very nice,_ Alex thought, trying to remember the last time they'd actually made love. To the best of her recollection, it'd been before she lost the baby.

"So your dad still wants me to call him tonight?" Alex called back to Greg.

"Yeah, he said after some rest he'd be ready to go," Greg responded from inside the shower.

Alex smiled to herself. She was looking forward to asking Ed some more questions about her grandparents and mother. He was probably going to be sick of her by the end of the night.

"Ok," she yelled back to him. "I'll give him a call."

She slipped out of bed and into her robe. She'd wait till Greg was out of the shower to freshen up and get dressed. Until then, she decided, she'd solidify the plans with Ed so she'd know what she needed to wear.


	6. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 6

Alex and Greg both left the apartment at the same time, Greg to go to work and Alex to go get Greg's dad. Greg stretched and yawned right before he got in the car. He hadn't gotten much sleep that day, especially because he didn't know he'd be going in that night. Alex felt somewhat refreshed. The evening had gone well and further strengthened her belief in her and Greg's relationship.

Alex and Ed had decided to check out a local piano bar. She had jokingly tried to convince him to go to one of Vegas' famous strip clubs, but he didn't bite. He wanted to go somewhere where they could talk. He was as interested in talking to her as she was in talking to him.

They'd been sitting at their booth, sipping their drinks for about an hour. Alex told Ed about her grandmother's death, her own kidnapping and how it was all related. Ed regaled her with stories of Greg as a child and things he remembered from Elizabeth's letters.

Alex felt the familiar vibration of her cell phone and pulled it out. She was a little surprised that it was Gil. "Hey Gil," she answered.

"Is Greg with you?" he responded, not even returning her greeting.

"No," Alex slowly responded. "He was going in to the lab." She looked at her watch. "He should've been there an hour ago."

"That's just it, he didn't show up," Gil informed her.

Alex furrowed her brow. "Did you try his cell?" The words escaped her mouth before she realized what a silly question that was. Of course he'd tried Greg's cell.

"It went directly to his voice mail," Gil replied. "This isn't like him."

Alex's concern was growing. It _wasn't_ like him. If there's one thing he was meticulous about, it was being on time. "Have you checked with the police to see if there was an accident?"

"I was trying you first," Gil stated. "I was hoping maybe you two had just fallen asleep."

She shook her head, forgetting he couldn't see her. "Well, why don't you call the police and I'll start calling hospitals—just in case."

"Will do," Gil responded and hung up.

Alex put her phone down and that's when she remembered Ed sitting across from her. By this time, his concern was evident on his face. He'd only heard Alex's half of the conversation, but that was enough to know something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Ed asked.

Alex took a deep breath. She didn't like breaking bad news to people. "Greg never made it to work."

An expression of shock came over Ed. "Wh-what?"

"That was Gil. Greg never made it to work," Alex repeated, placing her hand on his. "I need to call around to some of the hospitals to see if maybe he was in a car wreck or something. Is it alright if we go?"

Ed nodded slowly and he slid out of the booth. He dazedly followed Alex out to the car. He couldn't believe what he had heard. And it scared him.

They sat in the car Alex called around to emergency rooms. There hadn't been any accident victims matching Greg's description brought in recently.

As Alex called around, she was too consumed with worry to notice what Ed was doing. Ed pulled out his own phone and noticed it was off so he turned it back on. Once it came to life, he noticed he had a voice mail message. He called his voicemail and listened to the message.

After it was over, his jaw hung low. He touched Alex's arm and shook his head, trying to tell her she wasn't going to find Greg at a hospital.

"What Ed?" She asked, horrified by the look on his face.

He hit the button to replay the voice mail message and handed the phone to Alex. She put the phone up to her ear and listened.

"Dad, I'm ok," it was Greg's voice, but somewhat strained. "Don't listen—" he was cut off by what sounded like someone hitting him.

Another voice could be heard, "I have your son. If you and the girl want to see him again, alive and in one piece, it'll cost you. The price and the place are to come. No cops. No FBI. No CSIs. Go back to their apartment and wait for further instructions."

Alex hung up the phone. Her jaw was set square instead of dropping; she was trying not to cry. She looked at Ed, and their eyes said it all. She put the key in the ignition and started the car.

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Greg could feel the trickle of blood coming from the side of his mouth. He'd been hit pretty hard. He spat a wad of blood and spit.

"You picked the wrong guy to kidnap," Greg told the man in the ski mask.

The man laughed and then ordered Greg, "Shut the fuck up."

"I don't know what you want, but they aren't going to give you a damn thing," Greg replied, masking his fear with cockiness.

"They'll give me what I want," the man responded. "Because I have what they want."

"Do you not read the papers? This is an old plot. Did you not hear what happened to the last guy to kidnap a CSI?" Greg asked. "He died…was blown up!"

The man turned his eyes towards Greg. "I know the story. I also know the man did it for revenge and that he killed himself. Me, I'm in it for the money and have no plans to die."

Now it was Greg's turn to laugh. "Money? Please! They don't have any money."

The guy squinted his eyes. "Your father and wife obviously have some things they need to tell you."

"She's my fiancé," Greg replied, but the look on his face must have given him away. Greg wondered how the man could possibly know.

The man laughed again. "That's right. I know. And obviously I know a lot more than you."


	7. Ransom

Chapter 7

Greg sat, tied to the chair he was on. His hands were cuffed behind him, with rope tied around his midsection and arms. His legs were shackled to the chair legs. It was very uncomfortable and his muscles were starting to ache. Right now, though, he was being distracted from the pain because of pondering the man's words. There had been many things in the past that Alex hadn't told him, he wondered what she could be hiding from him now. Especially after they had made a pact to tell each other the truth.

Greg also didn't understand how the man knew he and Alex were married. Hell, they hadn't even been married all that long. And as far as Greg knew, no one knew, except of course the minister that married them. He didn't even know they were going to get married until just before.

They were driving down the strip, looking for a place to eat. It had been a month since Greg started on days. They were having a normal conversation when Greg kept noticing all the wedding chapels. He turned to look at Alex, who was driving.

"You want to?" he asked.

"Want to what?" she responded, turning to look at him briefly.

"Get married," he smiled.

Alex let out a laugh. "We are getting married." She held up her hand to show him the ring he'd gotten her. "Remember?"

Greg's smile grew wider. "I remember. I meant, right now."

"Right now?" Alex replied skeptically.

"Yeah, right now," Greg answered.

Alex pondered the idea for a few moments. The smile faded from Greg's face as time ticked by, knowing that her silence was a negative response.

"If we do this, we can't tell anyone. I mean no one." She gave Greg a quick look.

Greg's smile once again widened. "I swear, no one."

"And we still have our planned wedding in six months." It wasn't a question.

Greg nodded. A grin crept along Alex's lips.

"Ok, which one?" she asked.

They found one and they got married. It was a spur of the moment decision. It was one they had talked about before, but neither had really wanted to elope. Why he ended up asking her that day was still a mystery to him, but one he was happy to live with.

The man in the mask noisily walked into the room, waking Greg from his memory.

"Show time," the man said.

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The phone at Alex and Greg's apartment rang. The caller ID showed the number blocked so she knew who it had to be. She paused for a moment before picking it up.

"Hello?" her voice was shaky.

"Is Mr. Sanders there?" the voice asked.

"Y-yes," Alex replied.

"Put me on speaker then," the voice ordered.

Alex motioned with one hand for Ed to come over and with the other she put the phone on speaker. "Ok, you're on."

"Listen closely, I don't like to repeat myself. The price for safe return is the Martin tapes," the voice paused, waiting on a response.

Her heart sank. "I don't have the tapes!" Alex exclaimed. She couldn't believe she was going through this again and that Greg had been kidnapped over it. She'd told Jacob Thompson the truth when he tried to kill her. She didn't know where Sean Martin's tapes were.

The man let out a guffaw. "I wasn't speaking to you, _Mrs. Sanders_."

Alex turned to Ed. Her face was overcome by an expression confusion. What could Ed possibly know about the tapes? Sean Martin? Her kidnapping? Her marriage?

Ed's expression was similar to Alex's. He didn't understand why the voice had called her 'Mrs. Sanders.' As far as he knew they were just engaged. But, his question would have to wait. There was a more pressing matter at hand.

"I don't have the tapes," Ed told the man.

He laughed. "Tsk, tsk, Mr. Sanders. Now is not the time to be lying. Your son's life hangs in the balance."

Alex was still frozen, looking at Ed, but the wheels in her mind had started to turn. As she realized why Ed was really in Las Vegas, she knew what she was going to have to tell him. Currently, she didn't say a word. Ed sighed.

"When and where?" Ed replied.

"Just get the tapes and be ready to move when I tell you," the man ordered and then reiterated, "No FBI, no cops, No CSIs."

"CSIs are already involved," Alex tried to reason with the voice. "In case you didn't know, Greg was on his way in when you took him. They are suspicious that he didn't show."

"You're a smart girl," the voice said. "You'll figure something out. Besides, if you cooperate, Greg will be back with you before this day is over." The line went dead.

Alex's bottom lip quivered. Bad memories of her kidnapping flashed in her mind. The man on the phone hadn't given any indication that Greg was still ok and she hadn't had time to ask. She didn't know if the man was trustworthy, especially if he wanted the Martin tapes. She was also bothered by the amount of information this man knew. But he obviously didn't know everything.

There was a lot to be said, but Ed couldn't stop himself from asking, "Mrs. Sanders?"

Alex nodded, trying to fight the tears. "We…we've been married for a month. We didn't tell anyone because we still wanted to have a formal wedding where family and stuff came."

"W…wow. Congratulations, I guess," Ed responded.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out this way, Ed," Alex apologized.

"It-it's alright," Ed replied. "There's obviously a lot we haven't told each other." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "What are you doing about Greg's work?"

"I already took care of it." Alex told him. "I was just trying to see if the guy would give us any leeway. I told Gil I found Greg still at home, lying in bed sick. I told him that Greg didn't want to tell me he was sick because he wanted to me hang out with you."

"And he bought it?" Ed questioned.

Alex let out a sigh. "Why shouldn't he?"

Ed nodded. He knew Gil would believe his daughter. "What about the tapes?"

Alex shook her head. "You're the one who knows where they are."

Ed slowly nodded. "I guess we need to go get them."

"Yeah," Alex responded, as she walked down the hall to her bedroom. Ed could hear her rummaging around in a dresser drawer. When she reappeared she had a wallet and a different cell phone in her hands.

"What—?" Ed started, but Alex cut him off with a finger to her lips. She didn't know if the apartment was bugged and wouldn't put it past someone wanting those tapes.

She flipped open the wallet, revealing her FBI identification. Ed's eyes grew wide. He didn't know what the hell was going.

"Let's go get the tapes," She said in such a way as to let Ed know she'd explain on the way.

"Ok, let's go," he replied.


	8. Holding Out Hope

Chapter 8

Greg couldn't comprehend the conversation he'd just heard. He didn't understand what his dad knew about Sean Martin. Or why his dad would even know _anything_ about Sean Martin.

Greg and his dad might not have had the greatest relationship, but his dad was always honest with him, or at least, Greg had thought he'd been honest with him. Greg had also known his dad as hard working. So hard working, in fact, that Greg barely saw his dad growing up. Even after his mother's suicide, Ed was rarely around.

And the name Sean Martin made his skin crawl. He was the man who'd beaten Alex within an inch of her life. He was the man that left the permanent scar on her cheek, and her insides. He was the reason she lost their child.

The man in the mask turned to look at Greg. He was getting a sick pleasure out of the discomfort he was causing Greg, Alex, and Ed. The look of confusion and anguish caused him to smile. This was too much fun for him.

"Awww, Greg, you look confused," the man through his grin. "Don't worry, it'll all become clear."

"Fuck you," Greg responded.

The man laughed. "I don't think you understand your position, but that's ok. I don't mind having to show you." The man walked over to Greg and bent down to undo his foot shackles. "Although, it is moving time, so we'll test your discipline. If you try and run, you will be sorry."

Greg wasn't sure how much limb freedom the man was going to give him, so he simply sat as the man undid the chains, trying to calculate his best escape. He had no doubt he'd only have one attempt. The man, his captor, was serious, if nothing else.

The man undid the ropes that bound Greg, but left his handcuffs on. "That's a good boy," the man smirked. The man put a tight grip on Greg's wrist and undid one of the handcuffs.

Greg did know what the man was doing, but with his hands separated, he knew he had to take his shot. He balled his hand into a first and swung with all his might.

The man had expected as much and caught Greg's arm at his wrist. He wrenched it to the side and Greg heard a loud snap; he knew his arm was broken. The man elbowed Greg in the face and then kneed him in the chest. Greg fell to his knees, breathless. He felt pathetic and ashamed. He'd never been in a physical altercation before, but he'd always thought he'd be able to hold his own.

The man snorted. "Is that the best you got?" Then he pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Greg's neck.

Greg's head started to get fuzzy and then he slumped over. His last thoughts before totally succumbing were of Alex. He wondered if he would ever see her again.

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As Ed and Alex got in the car, she pulled out the cell phone she had grabbed from her drawer. She started to dial a number.

"What the hell is going on?" Ed asked.

She held up a hand to silence him as she waited for the phone to be answered.

"It's Hart. I know where the tapes are," she said in to the phone. "But we've got a problem. They have my fiancé and want the tapes for him." She paused, listening to the voice on the other end. "I understand that. But—" the person on the other end cut her off. "But, sir, you don't under—" She was cut off again. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

She shut the phone and sank back into the driver's seat. She put a hand to her forehead and tried to quell the tears threatening to break through.

"What is going on?" Ed repeated his earlier question, startling Alex who had forgotten he was there.

She turned and looked at him. "The Bureau wants the tapes. They don't care about Greg."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "The Bureau?"

Alex nodded. "I'm still with the Bureau. I've been undercover. They thought it might draw out some of Martin's associates, help them find the tapes. And they were apparently right.

"But what I don't understand is how you fit into all this and how you have the tapes."

Ed sighed and started to explain. "I had no idea what was on the tapes when I got them. They were sent to me from another business associate who'd gotten then from Martin. When I listened to them, I knew I had to turn them over. I set up a meet for this weekend and used visiting Greg as a cover."

Alex frowned. "I figured you were here about the tapes."

Ed noted her disappointment and quickly added, "Well, and I wanted to meet you and see Greg."

Alex shrugged, then picked up the cell phone again and dialed another number.

Grissom's cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number on the caller ID. "Grissom," he answered.

"Gil, it's Alex. I can only talk for a minute. Write down these numbers," she said and then quickly rattled off two 12-digit numbers and a 10-digit number.

"What're these?" Gil questioned.

"The first is the ID for the lojack for Greg's car. The second is the ID for the GPS chip in Greg's watch. The third is the cell phone I'm using. Greg's been kidnapped. Involve as few people as possible. Be very careful and quiet." She knew he'd know what to do and how to do it carefully.

Gil was stunned into silence. He wasn't sure how to respond. "Ok."

"_Very_ careful. It involves Martin," Alex replied and hung up the phone. She knew Gil would understand.

Ed was looking at her in amazement. "Lojack? GPS?"

Alex shrugged. "After I was kidnapped, I became very paranoid. Greg doesn't even know his watch has a GPS chip in it."

"Why didn't you try the GPS earlier?" Ed was skeptical.

Alex sighed. She knew the question was coming. "I had to wait till we got out of the apartment. I don't know if it was bugged. But we needed an excuse to leave."

Ed was still unsatisfied. "How do you know the car isn't bugged? What about your cell?"

Alex understood his concern. "The car _isn't _bugged. I know that. And this cell is a pre-paid, untraceable one…FBI issue."

"Do you think they'll find Greg?" Ed questioned hesitantly.

"I hope so," Alex replied. "Because if they don't—" she stopped herself.

"If they don't?" Ed prodded her.

"We can't give him the tapes," Alex explained, leaving the rest unsaid.

Ed nodded grimly. "Yeah. So what are we going to do?"

"Well, first, whatever we do, we have to _get_ the tapes," Alex reasoned.

"Agreed. Let's go," Ed responded.

Alex put the key in the ignition and they left to get the tapes. They both silently said a prayer for Greg's safety. Right now, they knew, God—and Gil—where Greg's only hope. And soon they'd find out just how right they were and how little hope Greg really had.


	9. Bad News

Chapter 9

As they drove, neither Alex nor Ed had much to say. Both had so many questions, but neither knew where to start. Alex simply took directions from Ed, going to the location of the tapes.

"So, uh, where are we going?" Alex finally broke their awkward silence.

"Bank," Ed answered matter-of-factly.

"Safety deposit box?" Alex guessed.

Ed nodded, "Yes."

"That's real…original," she commented. Then, after pondering for a few minutes, she started to think aloud. "If this guy who has Greg is so smart, why didn't they just break into the bank and steal the tapes out of the safety deposit box? Would be a lot easier."

"I have ten, all with tape sets in them. Only one is real," Ed replied.

"Ooohhhh," Alex understood. It would take too much manpower and create too much attention if someone tried to break in to all ten banks and get the right box.

"I'm sorry for all of this," Ed apologized. "I can't believe I got you two wrapped up in this."

Alex momentarily took her eyes off of the road and looked at Ed. She took one hand from the wheel and placed it on his arm. "Ed, I was involved in this long before you ever were."

"But this," Ed sighed. "Greg being kidnapped is my fault. If I hadn't come…"

Alex interrupted him, sensing the frustration in his voice, "If you hadn't come, they still could've kidnapped him. You just would've been farther away."

Both grew silent once again. This time it was Ed who interrupted the silence. "I'm…I'm such a failure as a father. I wasn't ever there for him and now, when he really needs me, I'm useless!"

Alex once again placed a hand on his arm. She looked Ed right in the eyes. "Ed, I don't really know much about your relationship with Greg, but I know he loves you very much. And I'm sure he knows you're doing everything you can to help him out."

Ed grabbed Alex's hand and held it in his. "Thank you," he said in barely above a whisper. Then he cleared his throat and added, "So do you have a plan?"

Alex let out a deep breath. "I'm hoping Gil will call any minute saying they've located Greg and I won't need one."

"And if that doesn't happen, plan B?" Ed asked.

"I'm working on it," Alex replied. "I'm working on it."

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He could feel the soft, ocean breeze blowing through his hair. He could taste the salt of the ocean in his mouth. In his hands he held the rope to the sail. The rope was rough, but would make his teenage hands tough, manly.

He looked to the rear of the small boat and saw his dad. He smiled, wanting to wave, but not daring to let go of the rope until he had properly tied it off. Greg loved sailing with his dad. It was one of the few things they actually did together.

Greg was too busy smiling at his dad, to notice the beach they were about to hit. As they did, it threw the young Greg off balance and he wound up face first in the sand.

He slowly opened his eyes, spitting the sand out of his mouth. He placed his hands on the ground and tried to lift himself up. As soon as he put weight on his right arm, pain shot up it. The pain of his broken arm brought him back to reality.

He was confused at first. The sand beneath him was very real and not just a part of his sailing memory. The last thing he could remember, he was in a cement room, his arm had just been broken.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky. It was a beautiful, clear blue with very few clouds. He finally worked himself into a sitting position and started to look around. His eyes trying to explain to his brain what he was seeing. He was still a little foggy from whatever the man in the mask had used to drug him.

After his vision cleared, all he could see was sand to the horizon in every direction. "Shit!" he shouted to the vastness, knowing no one could hear; he was in the middle of desert.

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Alex and Ed were driving around, waiting on their further instructions from the kidnapper. They had three sets of tapes in the car, including the real set. Alex wasn't quite sure what they were going to do yet, but she knew having a couple decoys couldn't hurt.

Alex's cell phone rang. She recognized the number as Gil's.

"Please tell me you found him," she answered her phone.

Gil's pause told her all she needed to know. "We found the car and the watch," he replied.

"But no Greg," her disappointment was hard to hide.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Gil tried to comfort her. "I'm sure he'll be alright."

"Any evidence in the vehicle?" She was trying to keep her mind on finding Greg and not what might be happening to him.

"None," Gil responded bleakly. Then, because he didn't get many details earlier, he asked, "Do you have a ransom?"

"Yes, we do," Alex answered. "But we can't give it to him. If we give him what he wants, I'm…I'll…" She didn't want to think about it.

Gil was quiet, waiting for her to finish. He heard another cell phone ring.

"I'll have to tell you about it later. That's our instructions," Alex told him, then hung up before he could respond.

Ed grabbed the phone before Alex could get to it. "Hello?" he answered it.

"You have the tapes," it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. Where do you want us to go?" Ed responded.

The man gave Ed an address. "You have 45 minutes. Only you two."

"And we'll exchange the tapes for Greg?" Ed questioned.

The man laughed. "What sort of idiot do you take me for? You could hand me fake tapes. You will get Greg's location once I'm satisfied the tapes are real."

"But—" Ed was trying to think of an excuse fast, but none came.

"No buts, cops, CSIs, or FBI," the man hung up.

"Damn it!" Ed swore as he hit the dash with his fist.

"What?" Alex was concerned. She knew the conversation hadn't gone well.

"He's not bringing Greg. Once he gets the tapes and is satisfied he'll give us Greg's location," Ed explained.

"Fuck!" Alex echoed Ed's earlier sentiment of frustration.

"So now what?" Ed asked.

"I don't know," Alex responded. "But I'll figure it out before we get there."


	10. Pent Up Anger

Chapter 10

Alex and Ed pulled into the abandoned parking garage that the man had directed them to. Alex had finally formulated her plan, but she kept it from Ed. If he knew what she was planning, he would try and stop her. And that was something that couldn't happen.

"So, what are we going to do?" Ed asked as she turned off the car.

"I'm going to give him the tapes," she replied.

"But, we can't. The Bureau—"

Alex broke in, "The Bureau can kiss my ass. I want Greg back."

Ed only nodded. He admired the love she had for Greg. She was willing to risk her career and jail time for him. It was something he didn't know if he'd be able to do.

She grabbed the case that held the tapes—the real tapes. Ed grabbed her arm. "He wanted me to go."

"He can kiss my ass too," Alex responded, shaking loose Ed's arm.

Ed still didn't let go of her arm. "Alex, I need to be the one to go."

She slipped her free hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Before Ed realized what she was doing, she had him cuffed to the steering wheel. "Sorry, but I've gotta do this."

She left the mystified Ed and started to walk towards the staircase as he had instructed. She really didn't know if he'd actually be there for her to hand the tapes to, but she could hope.

She opened the door, which gave a rusty cry. And it revealed the man in the ski mask. _Finally,_ she thought. _Something is going the way I want it to._

"That's far enough," the man said after she took a few steps onto the landing. The man was at the next landing down.

Alex was not going to have this. He had to be close for her plan to work. "What? You afraid to take the suitcase directly from me? A girl?"

The man laughed.

"Is that a yes?" Alex responded, raising an eyebrow. "Because I am handing the tapes directly to you or there is no deal."

"You are not in any position to be bargaining," the man replied. "Besides, if you expect me to believe you'd come this far only to turn back now, you're only fooling yourself."

She turned and started to walk back out the door. She knew she was playing a dangerous game but had no other option. She heard his footsteps.

"I'll humor you," the man said as he ascended the steps. He knew she wasn't a threat to him.

When he got to the landing, he reached for the briefcase that held the tapes. Alex didn't let go.

"_Don't_ fuck with me," the man stated, giving a tug to the briefcase.

"I'm the one you don't want to fuck with," Alex replied, swinging around and elbowing the man in the head.

After her elbow made contact, she swung back around the other way and hit the man in the face with her fist. He let go of the briefcase to cover his face and she swung back with the briefcase. It hit him square in the back and knocked him off balance. He stumbled down the half flight of stairs to the landing where he was when Alex had entered the stairwell.

Alex ran down the stairs and straddled him as he lay on the floor. She removed a second pair of handcuffs from her pocket and quickly handcuffed him to the stairwell.

"Now tell me where Greg is," She demanded. "Or you'll be sorry."

The man's face was still obscured by his ski mask, but Alex could see the blood running down next to his eyes, which were filled with confusion. She knew the man hadn't expected a fight from her. She knew he'd undoubtedly heard how easy she was to capture.

But Alex had been working on that. She had been taken self-defense in her spare time, unbeknownst to anyone. She'd also been doing strength training. She was never going down easy again.

"Go ahead," the man replied. "Do your worst."

An evil grin flashed across Alex's face. She had a lot of pent up rage she'd been dying to get out and had been hoping he'd put up a fight. She slammed her fist into the man's chest. Then she hit him a couple times across the face.

"Where. Is. Greg," she repeated given each word special emphasis.

The man's only reply was his laugh.

She hit him in the face a couple more times. And when that didn't seem to faze him, she grabbed his head and slammed it into the hard floor a few times. "Tell me!"

He leered at her. "You'll never find where we dropped him."

Alex was about to hit him again, when she paused in thought. It was weird that he used the phrase "dropped him" and an odd notion passed through her mind. "What did you do? Leave him in the desert?" she asked rhetorically.

There was a slight flicker in the man's eyes. She realized why the man knew so much truth; he had to. He was a horrible bluffer.

"Oh god," she responded. "You did leave him in the desert." She paused to think for a moment. "How long? How long has he been out there?"

The man just laughed again. "Fuck you."

"Where is he?" she demanded again, pushing his head into the floor a few more times.

"You're wasting valuable time on me," he responded.

"Grrrr!" she yelled, frustrated. She balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the face. "Where?"

"There was a lot of sand," the man replied sarcastically.

His response angered her even more. She repeatedly struck his chest. "Where is Greg?" she shouted.

Her shout covered the groan of the stairwell door, which was to her back. She was too lost in her rage to hear the footsteps coming down the stairwell towards her.

"Where is my husband?" she yelled at him, raising her arm to strike him one more time. Only, her arm didn't budge. She looked up to see why and there was a hand around her wrist.

"Stop, Alex," it was Gil's voice she heard.

She turned to look at him. His face was a mixture of bewilderment and sadness. "Gil?"

Gil pulled her up by her wrist. She stood and stared into Gil's eyes. Then she looked down at her hands, which were now down by her side. There was blood splatter on them.

She threw her arms around him and looked back up at him. "We've got to get Greg."

"He told you where Greg is?" Gil questioned, holding her tight.

"He's in the desert," she replied. "We need helicopters."

"I think I can help with that," he told her.


	11. Finding Out

Chapter 11

Alex and Gil were sitting in the helicopter scanning the vast desert beneath them. Gil and Catherine had called in quite a number of favors to get a number of helicopters searching for Greg. And even then, finding him was still going to be an arduous task.

Gil hadn't left Alex's side. He knew that she needed him right now. What he didn't know was what she was keeping from him. But he couldn't bring himself to ask her about her use of the word 'husband' or what caused her to be so violent. It was something he never would have expected from her.

As they circled above the sand, both looked down searching for any sign of Greg. Alex silently prayed they would find him and soon. She didn't know what she would do if they didn't find him or worse, find him dead.

"There!" Gil shouted, pointing to a speck in the distance.

Alex quickly turned her head to look where Gil was pointing. She squinted her eyes, desperately trying to see what Gil saw. The pilot turned the helicopter and flew towards the direction Gil had indicated.

As they got closer, the speck got bigger. It grew into a human form, with arms waving. Alex's heart jumped into her throat. It had to be Greg. How many other people would be out in the middle of the desert?

Alex was sure it was Greg while he was still a little off in the distance. She recognized the color of his shirt as the one he was wearing when he'd left for the lab. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she couldn't stay seated. She just wanted to jump out of the helicopter and run to him. And as the helicopter started to touch down, that's exactly what she did.

The helicopter was still a few feet off the ground when Alex surprised Gil and jumped out. She ran as fast as she possible could up to Greg. He was still a little ways ahead of them. The pilot didn't want to kick up too much dust around him.

Greg had seen the helicopter while it was in the distance and knew it was headed towards him. He dropped to his knees, exhausted. He didn't know how long he'd been walking, how long he'd been in the desert or when was the last time he'd had water.

When Alex got to Greg, she nearly knocked him over with her embrace. She dropped to her knees in front of him and threw her arms around him. Tears were streaming down her face as she held on to him for dear life because he was her whole life.

She was still holding unto his hand hours later, when he was lying, sleeping in the hospital. Greg's right forearm was in a cast to the elbow. Just as he had thought, his ulnas had been broken by his kidnapper. He was somewhat dehydrated, but basically was there for observation.

Gil looked into the room and knocked lightly on the doorframe, trying to get Alex's attention. He didn't want to wake Greg up. Alex turned and looked at the noise. When she saw Gil she motioned for him to come over, but he shook his head. Then he motioned for her to come to him. She gave one more look to her sleeping husband and then obeyed her father.

When they were out in the hall Gil asked, "How's Greg?"

"Greg's alright. A little banged up, but good," she replied.

He put his hand on her arm and looked her straight in the eyes. "How're you?"

She let out a wavering sigh. She knew what he was talking about: the stairwell. "I'm…I'm…better now that Greg is ok."

Gil just nodded. He started to ask about what he'd heard, but stopped. She'd noticed his hesitation and decided to offer the answer to what she assumed was his unspoken question.

"Yes," she told him. "Greg and I are married."

Gil didn't know how to respond. "When?"

"About a month ago," she replied. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

Gil was a little disappointed. Although apprehensive about Greg and Alex marrying in the beginning, he'd begun to like the idea. He was actually somewhat looking forward to walking Alex down the aisle, getting to do something fatherly. "Congratulations," it was a little less than enthusiastic.

She understood his response. She figured he'd be disappointed. They'd grown close since she first entered his life, not just as a father and daughter, but as friends. And for someone who understood dead people more than he did live ones, that was a big deal.

She took a deep breath. "And, while I'm coming clean, there's something else I should tell you."

Gil raised an eyebrow, not sure what else there could be.

"I still work for the Bureau," she spit out.

"That," he replied, "I had figured out."

"How?" she questioned.

Gil looked to the left and behind him, showing Alex his evidence. There were two men in black suits talking to Ed.

"Shit!" she said under her breath, and then looked down at the ground. She looked back up at Gil. "Gil," she started, but then stopped. She took another deep breath and started again, softer, "Dad I'm in a lot of trouble."

Gil was silent for a moment. It was the first time she'd ever called him 'dad' and it felt surprisingly natural. "What sort of trouble?"

"There's a lot I can't tell you," she replied. "Basics: Ed came to deliver a package to the FBI, not just see Greg and I. The package is what Greg's kidnapping was over and I didn't follow orders. Plus, the whole, beating thing…" Her eyes started to well up with tears.

Gil embraced his daughter. "I'm sure everything will be ok," he tried to reassure her, knowing she was probably right.

She broke their embrace. "Tell Greg I love him and…I'm sorry." She left Gil and walked over to the men wearing suits.

Gil could tell from their expressions and the tones of voice that they were not happy with Alex. He watched, dumbstruck, as they cuffed her. She looked over her shoulder at Gil as they led her out, another apology in her eyes.

Ed didn't know how to react either. They had cuffed her right in front of him. He wanted to stop them, but couldn't. He was just glad, although guiltily so, that they weren't arresting him. He was glad that Greg was all right, he only hoped Alex would be. It was a bittersweet day all around.

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Epilogue

It was sometime the next day when Alex returned to the sleeping Greg's side. She was let go with no charges because the man in the mask wouldn't say who had handcuffed him to the stairwell. And the FBI was understanding, especially after Alex delivered the tapes.

Alex never did find out who the man in the mask was and he was never tried for Greg's kidnapping. It turned out, when the FBI got a hold of him, he was someone they'd been looking for in connection with some high profile murders; another reason Alex was given some reprieve.

He slowly opened his eyes and squeezed her hand. "Hey," he said, to get her attention, a little surprised to see her. Ed and Gil had told him about her being taken away.

She looked at him. "Hey," she smiled, glad he was awake.

"You aren't an escapee, are you?" he jokingly asked.

She shook her head. "I did more good than bad, so they called it even."

He returned her smile. His face turned more somber and he questioned, "They know?"

This time she nodded. "They know."

"So you're finally going to change your name?"

She laughed. "Yeah," she replied, moving to sit on the bed next to him. "I'm going to change my name now." She leaned over and kissed him.

"Good," he responded, taking her hand in his. "Now we can get on with the rest of our lives."


End file.
